World’s oldest panda Ming Ming dies aged 34

The world’s oldest panda Ming Ming has died at the age of 34, the China Panda Protection Centre has announced.

Ming Ming, the world’s oldest panda, has died at the age of 34 (Pic: AP)

The panda, who had been suffering from kidney failure, died on May 7 from old age according to a statement by the centre in Sichuan province.

Ming Ming had been living at a reserve in Guangdong province since she returned to China in 1994, after an unsuccessful attempt at breeding in Britain.

London Zoo had kept Ming Ming and a male panda Bao Bao in the hope the pair would reproduce, but the pair fought savagely and were both moved from the zoo. Giant pandas have not been kept in a British zoo since.

The animals are among the world’s most endangered species, with about 1,600 in the wild, while more than 300 pandas live in captivity in China.

Captive pandas tend to live for an average of 22 years, while wild pandas live 15 years.